My oldest daughter was married this last weekend. I cried when she and her daddy danced to Billy Joel’s Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel). That song came out three years before she was born, and we would play it for her when she was a baby. The rush of emotions of watching your baby take vows and get married are bittersweet. Where did the time go?

I remember the days after bringing her home from the hospital. Trying to figure out how to nurse her and get her to sleep through the night felt like it would never end. And then it did. Then, potty training. The book I read said it would take a day, but it really took a month or more. Then it wasn’t even a consideration. Her younger sisters came and we dealt with all the milestones, illness, learning, sibling squabbles, moving, and more. Before we knew it she was graduating high school and moving out.

If I could go back to that time in 1996 and tell my young mom self anything it would be this: don’t be in a hurry for her to get to the next milestone...and give her lots more love. Before you know it she will be off on her own, starting a new life as a grown-up married woman.

You can commission an artist to capture the essence of your memory. Debra Fasullo describes what the art of Pam Baumeister did to connect her story with the image she wanted to be painted. Discover how to hire an artist yourself.

Pam has a special talent for recreating, visually and emotionally, a beautiful family memory. It is displayed prominently in our home to remember and enjoy daily. It makes it so our sweet family dog and the memories we had with her can be remembered regularly. A piece of her is still with us, which is such a comfort.

— Vanessa & Tyler Brown, South Carolina

I definitely recommend commissioning Pam...particularly if you have photographs that really stand out in your mind...especially with little kids because time goes so fast. I’m not a particularly sentimental person and I don’t take enough pictures. Doing this is a really fantastic way to create something special and memorable.